A Colonial Christmas

Back at the Bergen County Historical Society for both their history open house and colonial concert. Was a colonial ghost making an appearance in the far bottom right corner? These mysterious lights showed up in all the photos I took in this room.

Right above the room, the temporary headquarters of George Washington, who stayed in the Steuben House while the army was encamped between Soldier Hill Road in Oradell and Van Saun Park in Paramus.

Back at the Black Horse tavern, soul-nourishing butternut squash soup with an herbed biscuit, $8, and hot mulled cider, $1.

Whimsical Dutch Santas in the gift shop.

A visit to the Dutch out kitchen is a must. Would it be wrong to want to live by candlelight alone?

Roasted brussels sprouts is quickly becoming one of my favorite vegetables of the season.

Notice the kitchen tools. Consider the labor that went into food harvesting and preparation. With no labor required on our own part in growing it, I think sometimes we take for granted the easy accessibility we have to food today, contributing in part, to food waste.

Not milk and cookies, but hay and apples. Why?

To attract the horses of Sinterklaas.

Mistletoe by the fireplace.

In the hustle and bustle that is inevitable this time of year, take time to savor your favorite traditions this holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

NorthJersey.com was at the Bergen County Historical Society's New Bridge Landing, recreating what the first Thanksgiving might have been like. Read more. I'll pass on the venison and goose, but sign me up for the stewed pumpkin and corn grits.

While not appealing for those of us who shun meat, the video does interest me as a history lover, and gives you perspective the labor that went into food preparation. Think how much we rely on convenience foods, and of the long list of labels with ingredients we cannot even pronounce. I also reflect on how animals used for food may have led a more natural life, while today's food animals are full of growth hormones, antibiotics, and live in completely unnatural conditions.


On a more light-hearted note, I leave you with some snapshots from the Macy's Parade balloon inflation viewing.

Veterans Weekend, With a Visit from our 16th President

My kind of star sighting: the honorable President Abraham Lincoln and his lovely wife Mary Todd Lincoln, at Bergen County Historical Society's Veterans Day weekend festivities.

Imagine the energy our modern world spends on vapid reality stars who are garnering fame to sell books, weight loss drugs, beauty cream - anything. Why bother with them, when history offers such more intriguing figures.

Reflect on the life of a soldier hundreds of years ago, and now. Give quiet thanks for their sacrifice.

Home of the brave. During a speech, it was reminded that if you see a hair of gray with a military cap on, know that in their younger years, they stormed the beaches, they scoured through jungles. Far from all familiar and loved, they fought for freedom. They deserve this time of recognition and gratitude.

To all veterans and to the families who have made such sacrifices, the words you cannot hear enough: thank you.

Now, for a bit of time traveling. Putting on her Sunday's best.

Fresh baked rolls out of the Dutch oven.

Cranberry sauce and potato leek soup on stand-by to nourish hungry volunteers and servicemen and women. Butternut squash and potatoes were nearby. All, making my mouth water.

Apple crisps ready for the oven.

Event goers could enjoy refreshments in the Black Horse Tavern, including slices of apple pie, pumpkin cake and apple cake, and hot mulled cider, $1 each for all.

The sign on the mantelpiece declared, 'Hard Times in Jersey." Indeed.

The garden, thriving in summer, now just a ghost of the season's past.


Wood for winter fires to keep home, body and soul all warm.

Lincoln spoke to the room about how horribly divided we are. Sound familiar?

On my long "to read" list is Bloody Crimes, James L. Swanson's tale of the chase to apprehend Confederate president Jefferson Davis after Lincoln's assassination and the nearly three week funeral that brought Lincoln's body back Springfield. His book "Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer" was 'can't put it down' material for me.

Thanks to the Bergen County Historical Society for putting on yet another thought-provoking, introspective event.

A Harvest Homecoming

On All Hallow's Eve, I partook in the festivities at the Bergen County Historical Society's Harvest Homecoming. Aside from the cost of refreshments, the events are free for members (an extremely reasonable $20 yearly dues).

The world just seems so much more magical when lit by candles.


Doesn't the Black Horse Tavern look even more cozy by night?

The October's night was cold, the wind: punishing. A mug of hot mulled cider, $1, warmed the body, and the cider donut, $1.50, warmed the soul. Pumpkin or apple pie were also available for $2.50, as were cold cider, coffee or tea. Apples on the table: 25 cents a piece. An autumn day feels a little less complete without a crisp apple.

The back kitchen by night.


The candles were aglow, and the fire (one of my favorite scents in fall and winter) was crackling.

Perusing their fine collection of artifacts, this caught my eye: the pan Rachael Burdette is said to have served George Washington Indian cakes in November 1776. Consider all the possessions we have in our modern world. Will they survive for years to come? Centuries?

I admired the craftsmanship of the Betsey Haring quilt, and reflected on how little craftsmanship goes into many of our possessions today.

Note the roping on the bed. Walking through the historic homes, I longed for a home less cluttered filled with only functional and/or cherished items. I vow to make that happen by donating items, little at a time, to family, friends, colleagues and through charitable thrift.


What would a Hallow's Eve night be without some ghost stories? The "Van Duyne's Midnight Dinners" skit had visitors from beyond: a child who had passed away in the war; a bride who was accidentally buried alive after falling into a coma, has her grave robbed for her ring and after escaping only to die of exposure from the cold; a witch, crying out how age was once revered but now an old, ugly woman with no family to care for her is blamed on spoiled crops and cows who provide no milk; and the famous Jersey devil all made an appearance.


Regina Haring discussed the Haring Burial Ground in Norwood, and of her family history. What will become of our own legacies? Will our descendants be intrigued by the lives we led, or will we be forgotten?

Take time to reflect on and learn about the past - of your state, your nation, our world and also your family. As was observed during a discussion, so often it is the women who pass down the stories. But if we don't inquire, those stories are lost.

I am grateful for the Bergen County Historical Society, for leading us down an introspective road to remembrance, with a good dose of merriment along the way.

Forgotten: One Tradition, One War Hero, Now Remembered

This August marked the first time I celebrated Winu Gischuch, the Corn Moon, at a Bergen County Historical Society event.

According to the group, "the Dark Moon of August, Winu Gischuch, was associated with ripened corn, ready to roast. At this time, native farmers pulled cornstalks that produced no ears and sucked out the sweet sap or syrup. Fresh ears of corn in the milk were roasted."



Kevin Wright, author of 1609: A Country That Was Never Lost who was speaking at the event, says such gatherings simply highlight the natural movement of time.

I stepped back in time in the Campbell-Christie House.

I sat in their candlelight, cozy tavern.

You can't go to a corn festival and not partake, can you? A modest donation was asked for the refreshments. The corn, 50 cents.

Corn cakes, two for $1.

On an unseasonably cool rainy day, homemade peach plum crisp, $3.50, nourished both body and soul.


The back kitchen is always a must visit stop. Among items on the menu: corn chowder, potato and leek soup, a side dish of squash and apples and corn cakes with blueberries.


Another highlight was a preview of documentary Lafayette: The Lost Hero. It makes its debut to the nation September 13. A glimpse of the documentary:

Lafayette: The Lost Hero from The Documentary Group

A modest blue sign, on a very car-heavy road, Kinderkamack Road (at Soldier Hill Road), marks where Lafayette and his troops once traveled.

A lifelong Bergen County, New Jersey resident and someone who has traveled Soldier Hill Road thousands of times, I crossed the path those who fought for freedoms we often take for granted had. Thanks to the Bergen County Historical Society, I have a newfound appreciation.



Learn more about upcoming events.

I couldn't help think of the haunting Lydia Huntley Sigourney poem "Indian Names," brought to life by Natalie Merchant on Leave Your Sleep. "Our injustice and hard-hearted policy with regard to the original owners of the soil has ever seemed to me one of our greatest national sins," Lydia reflected. All that's largely left behind are their traditions, resurrected by groups like the Bergen County Historical Society, preserved artifacts, and their names - on lakes, streams, rivers, towns and monuments.

"Ye say they all have passed away,
That noble race and brave,

Their light canoes have vanished
From off the crested wave.

That 'mid the forest where they roamed
There rings no hunter's shout.

But their name is on your waters,
Ye may not wash it out."

Pinkster Fest: Celebrating Spring, Colonial Style

Remember what fun the Bergen County Historical Society's County Ball was to celebrate George Washington's birthday? Flashback. Now a proud, card-carrying member, I returned for their annual Pinkster Fest.

What is it, you ask? A bit of background, from their web site:

"Imagine you are back in a time when the spring planting was done and nature allowed a moment of relaxation and community celebration. The Jersey Dutch joyously observed Pentecost as Pinkster, a holiday marking the budding of trees, the flowering of shrubs and feasting upon the first harvest of spring grains. In farming communities, a May-tree or pole was set in the ground and decorated with nosegays woven from wildflowers. A sporting contest, usually involving foot or horse races, determined who would be crowned as a figurative bride and groom, the May Queen and King. This flower-crowned couple led merry-makers in a procession, going door-to-door and gathering dyed eggs, butter, bread, cream, coffee, sugar, and tallow candles in their baskets. Food collected in these spring baskets furnished the table of the communal Pinkster supper, actually a mock wedding feast, complete with ring dances. Toasts with buttermilk, known as "white wine", singing, and recital of the Pinkster Ode complete the celebration."

A young boy observes the festivities.


A traditional sweeping of the porch started the celebration (I wasn't there in time), followed by dancing around the May pole. Note the crown of flowers atop it.


Anne and Ridley Enslow were on-hand with ditties of yesteryear.

Observe the wooden shoes Anne has on, which would be traditional in the muddy fields.

A teacher observing this scene said some of her students were in disbelief that cotton comes from a plant. Not only do we forget our food sources, but also of the origins of the clothes on our back.

As Memorial Day is upon us, reflect on the life of the soldiers that provided us the freedoms we enjoy today.

A peek inside a few of the items inside a soldier's pack. The comb? Not for vanity, but to keep out lice, which could spread diseases, and in turn, destroy armies, we learned.


Refreshment time. Have a seat in their tavern.


Enjoy some cherry strudel, with some apple cider and punch. It was refreshing to see volunteers washing the plastic cups they were served in by hand. One woman said they are mindful of conservation.


My favorite house: the back kitchen.

What magic is being whipped up?

Blueberry cornbread. I will definitely try adding blueberries to my next cornbread batch.

In a very un-colonial style, I admit to using the Trader Joe's cornbread mix, and use plain soy milk and Ener-G egg replacer to omit the dairy and eggs.

This Dutch dish of potatoes, apples, carrots, onion and mushrooms can be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon.

Brussels sprouts are delicious served roasted, and would be delightful for a Sunday supper alongside Field Roast vegan Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and apple crisp. Just thinking aloud!

American flags in the gift shop. Remember how patriotic we once were, and how American flags were in high demand? The last time I can remember was in 2001.

If we don't favor our officeholders, whether of town, state or nation, should we love our country any less? If we feel we're headed in the wrong direction, aren't we obligated as citizens to change that course even in some small way?


I think of Johnny Wheelwright's words in John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" that, "Americans are not big on history. How many of them even know their own, recent history? Was twenty years ago so long ago for Americans."

So many don't even seem to follow current events, let alone reflect on our past. I'm thankful that groups like the Bergen County Historical Society work to preserve and celebrate our history and traditions like the Pinkster Fest. Check out all of their upcoming events.